Never Change
by littledoggy
Summary: Unable to fathom the reason behind Natsume's coldness, Mikan decides to try it herself! Read and review. ONESHOT


Yay, I actually managed to write TEN stories! Well, this _is_ the tenth, even if it is a one-shot. Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: I will never own Gakuen Alice, so I'll just content myself with writing fanfics**.

**Never Change**

**',',**

Mikan lay down on her bed, lost in her own world. Silly thoughts such as 'I wonder if Hotaru will let me hug her tomorrow' or 'the Math homework today was really hard!' crossed her mind. Almost inevitably, her musings drifted to a certain ruby-red eyed boy who had an affinity with fire. Hyuuga Natsume.

She recalled clearly the many times he teased her mercilessly, calling her polka dots or little girl. Just when she thinks negatively of him, he turned out to be the exact opposite. _Natsume-kun, you're really unpredictable. Wild and hot, like the fire you produce in your hand. Oh, and by hot I mean nothing. Absolutely nothing. After all, he doesn't feel hot to my touch. _(Sigh. Why are you so dense Mikan?)

The brunette shook her head wildly, making her pigtails thwack her normally smiling face. A dreamy look currently inhabited her features, replacing the trademark Sakura Mikan smile. _Ugh. Why am I thinking of that hentai? I would be better off thinking of something else…_

A soft rustling brought her to her senses and she looked out of the window. The rustling noise was made by the crisp autumn leaves, blown about by the breeze. The leaves had taken on a fiery reddish orange hue, enhanced by the darkness of night. _The colour of Natsume-kun's fire…Baka! Why are you thinking of that pervert!_ Mikan admonished herself in frustration.

With a sigh, she flopped back onto her bed, her mind now occupied with thoughts of Natsume. (Ha Mikan, finally accepted your fate, have you?) _He's so cold…a total contrast with his burning alice. Can someone really be that cold? I don't know. I smile all the time. I wonder how Natsume-kun can cope with it._

Suddenly Mikan sat up on her bed and snapped her fingers. If Natsume won't tell her, then she'll find out for herself. Experience is the best after all. Ha! That was the best thing she had come up with so far! _Great thinking Mikan,_ she thought smugly. _I'll start right now. Oh wait, it's already night, _she realized with some regret.

_No problem, I'll begin tomorrow._

….

"Ohayo Mikan-chan," Yuu greeted, looking up from the book he was reading. To his utmost surprise, Mikan didn't reply. She went straight to her seat, not even bothering to greet Hotaru.

The Ice Queen shifted ever so slightly to look at her best friend. She had never acted that way before, and Hotaru was worried. Was she okay? Of course, being Hotaru, she didn't bother to ask.

"Mikan-chan, are you alright?" Iincho questioned, voicing out both his and Hotaru's concern. No response. The two students exchanged glances. What was wrong?

Just then the door slid open, revealing the school's two hottest boys. Nogi Ruka and Hyuuga Natsume entered the room, quickly trailed by numerous fangirls. They ignored the screaming females and walked purposefully to their seats. Their fangirls tried to follow them, but one death glare from Natsume was more than enough to send them scuttling away. Ruka, being the gentler of the two, sent Mikan a small smile and was surprised when she did not return the gesture.

Natsume peeked out from behind his manga to look to the brunette. Mikan had her head bowed and was twiddling her thumbs. It was very unlike her not to greet him as soon as he entered the classroom, and it piqued his curiosity.

"Hey polka dots, what's up?" he drawled, putting his feet on the table. Mikan didn't reply but stared blankly out of the window. Natsume started to get irritated. How dare she ignore him?

The smell of burnt hair filled the classroom. Mikan's hair was on fire, with fire on the tips. She then did the most surprising thing. Instead of jumping up and screaming like she used to, she raised her hand and pinched her hair. The flames died with a last flicker.

Now she had gained the attention of the entire class. They were staring at her incredulously. This was not the Mikan they knew. The Mikan they knew and recognized as their friend was a happy-go-lucky person, a smile always brightening her face. The Mikan who would scream if her hair was burned. The Mikan who would greet everyone who entered the classroom, be it her stoic friend Hotaru (which was very rare since Hotaru arrives way earlier than Mikan) or Sumire.

"What's up?" she finally asked. The class gasped in surprise. Her voice had a cold edge to it, and it sliced them like a knife.

"Mikan-chan -" Yuu touched her arm timidly. She knocked it away roughly and glared at him. He shrank back immediately. If looks could kill, this one could. The class watched this exchange with growing apprehension. Throwing one last glare over her shoulder, she stomped out of the room and shut the door with a bang.

The class stayed immobile in their seats. Not even one moved to go after Mikan. Well, everyone but Hyuuga Natsume. With a small grunt he stood up and followed her. Ruka looked at his retreating back in surprise. Did Natsume really plan on going after Mikan? Despite his shock, Ruka couldn't suppress a chuckle. Mikan's constant presence was starting to rub off onto Natsume. Who knows what he'll do next under her influence? Maybe someday, Ruka will see him smile…a genuine smile.

',',',',

MIKAN

',',',',

Boy, giving the cold shoulder to everyone was really hard. It took all the strength I had not to greet Iincho and the others. Not screaming when Natsume burned my hair was even worse. Sheesh…that Natsume.

Why did I act cold to everyone in class that morning? And how did I act so cool when my hair was burned? (Reminder: get even with Natsume. _If_ I can). Who was responsible for my sudden change in attitude?

Hyuuga Natsume.

Who inspired me to try?

_Hyuuga Natsume._

And why did I want to know? Why should I bother about that hentai's behaviour?

_There is no answer to that_, I thought firmly. _No answer at all._ Deep inside though, I knew the answer all along. Or at least I think I do.

Why did I feel sudden nervousness every time he was around? Or the sudden hotness I experience around my cheeks that Hotaru called 'blushing', whatever that means. And what was that nagging feeling I felt each time I saw a girl getting too close to Natsume?

I sighed. A thousand questions, zero answers. Great. Just great.

Uh-oh. Here comes the boy in question. Better get away. The quicker the better.

',',',',

NATSUME

',',',',

Hey, I wonder where she ran off to. Mikan was acting kind of strange today. I wonder why. I hope she's okay…

Wait.

Why am I thinking of that annoying brat?

Ah, there she is. Walking towards Central Town. I smirked despite myself. Mikan will get into serious trouble if she was caught alone.

I felt the corner of my lips droop slightly. Hmm…What did I do? The only reason they would droop would be because I raised them.

_Raised them? _That would mean I smiled or something related to that, right?

Impossible. I clenched my fists angrily. Grr…that Mikan cheerfulness has infected me. I must make sure I don't get the polka virus too…just kidding.

_…Kidding?_

I never kid around. Never. Take heed of that word. I _never_, and ever will, joke about something. Got that?

I better chase after polka dots before she disappears.

',',',',

MIKAN

',',',',

Argh…why is Natsume-kun following me? He's not a hound, for sure.

_Nope,_ I chided myself. He's a _kuro neko_. A black cat. The few times I saw him wear that mask…I'll just say he looks good in it and leave it at that.

I quickened my pace in the hopes of outrunning him. Fat chance. He's really agile after all those missions.

"Polka dots," he called. I grumbled inwardly, biting back a comment I longed to hurl at his face. Instead I broke into a jog, then a run. To my dismay, Natsume followed me with ease. Why can't he leave me alone?

"Polka dots," he called again, more forcefully this time. Of course, I did what he normally did – to me, that is. I ignored him. Wow. Can you believe how hard it is not to turn around and answer to your name? It's pure torture. Damn you Natsume, you made me do this!

Oh no…I swore. That habit I must've picked up from Natsume. Of that I am one hundred percent sure. I do not swear – well, I never did, not until Natsume entered the scene. Damn you for causing this – oh, I swore again.

Slapping myself mentally, I looked up to pinpoint my current direction. All clear. Empty of Natsume too. This made me curious. Where could he have gone? _A clear space. All the easier for Natsume to catch up with me,_ I thought wearily. _Eh, I better swerve to the right. The sakura tree is right in my path. Don't want to run into that._

_WHAM._

',',',',

NATSUME

',',',',

Why is polka dots running away from me? Doesn't she know it is futile? I can outrun her, any day.

Oh well. If she wants a jog…so be it. I want to see how long she can last anyway. So I chased her lazily.

"Polka dots," I drawled, hoping to gain her attention. I watched her ball her fists with amusement. Polka dots was a never failing source of entertainment to me.

_Oh, only a source of entertainment? Don't you mean something more? Something like…a crush, or even love? _Something teased me in my head. I growled, for I hate being teased. Reminds me too much of Persona.

_No. She's downright annoying._

_Oh really?_

_Just shut up already._

_No. I. Won't._

_Do as you wish,_ I shrugged mentally. What is there to be gained by talking to myself anyway?

"Polka dots," I called again. She's beginning to get onto my nerves. How dare she ignore me! I, Hyuuga Natsume?

That's it. This is the last straw. She had her share of fun, and now it's payback time. I pushed myself to my maximum speed and ran fast, weaving in and out of sight between the trees. Mikan didn't seem to realize, judging by the way she kept peeking over her shoulder.

Heh. If this was a mission, Sakura Mikan would no longer exist.

_No longer exist._ That was a horrifying thought, yet half of it already came true. The forever-cheerful Sakura Mikan had strangely disappeared, leaving a total stranger in her place.

I have to stop her and find out the truth behind her behaviour.

….

Mikan blinked. She didn't remember running into the direction of the sakura tree. If she remembered correctly, she actually swerved to dodge it. So why was she feeling something hard behind her back right now?

Oh, wait. If she had bumped into the tree of her own accord then her face would be facing the bark of the tree and not her back. Either way, she was glad her face hadn't contacted with the trunk. She didn't think her nose would survive it.

_Ah, why are there two branches poking out of both sides near my head?_ She thought, puzzled. _Funny, they seem too large and smooth to belong to the tree…_ Mikan looked upwards only to meet a pair of familiar cold ruby red eyes. She shrieked and tried to stumble backwards. Of course, she failed due to the simple fact that her back was already against the tree.

Hyuuga Natsume was there, his hands pinned just below her ears, preventing her escape even if she ducked. Terrified brown orbs met his. He returned it with a cold glare, making the girl before him shiver. She composed herself a moment later and stared back defiantly into his eyes, matching every ounce of his coldness.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"…"

"If there is nothing, I'll be going right now." She pushed her arm through the gap between Natsume's arms and started wiggling. Her effort was futile. Natsume was far stronger than she thought he was. Sighing in defeat, she contented herself with shooting glares at him.

"Why?" The single word that escaped Natsume's mouth broke the tense silence between them.

"Nani?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Wow Hyuuga-san, for a genius, you sure are oblivious to your surroundings," Mikan mocked. Natsume's hands balled themselves into fists. Fire erupted from both hands and danced dangerously close to her bare skin. Mikan hid her fear and stared intently into his eyes.

"…"

Both stayed that way for goodness knows how long. Their shadows grew longer and longer as the sun sank lower into the horizon, throwing the last of its red beams at the two beneath the sakura tree. Suddenly Mikan snapped out of her stare and used her nullifying alice, causing the fire to extinguish themselves.

"You're draining your energy Hyuuga," she said flatly.

"I know."

"..."

"Then why are you doing this?"

Mikan scoffed. The great Hyuuga Natsume couldn't figure out who she was impersonating? "Try guessing."

"No. Tell me now."

"Use your brains Hyuuga. Who do I seem like?"

"Polka dots…don't provoke me." Natsume's eyes flashed dangerously, a warning of danger.

"There's no point in aiming your fire at me. I can nullify them anytime."

"…"

"Oh and by the way, my name is Sakura Mikan," she added sarcastically. "Funny how you can never get it right."

"Polka dots."

"Don't -" Mikan's eyes grew wide as her lips were glued shut. Something warm was pushing against them. Natsume had one finger under her chin and was pulling her face up to meet his. His face was dangerously close to hers…the lower half of his face was nowhere to be seen. Natsume broke away a short moment later. It seemed like an eternity to Mikan.

"Don't change…Mikan," he said softly, his eyes hidden by his bangs.

The brunette was stunned. She traced a finger over her lips. They still tingled slightly, probably the after effects of the kiss. A nice feeling settled in her stomach, making her feel light and carefree.

"What -" she started weakly. Her speech was interrupted by a loud growl emanating from her stomach. She felt her cheeks go hot as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. "Oops."

Natsume snorted. "Baka."

"Hoe!" Mikan yelled furiously. "Who are you calling stupid?"

"You. Come on, let's go to the canteen."

"Whatever for?"

"To eat, polka dots."

"Hoe! Natsume!"

"Catch me if you can." With that, the boy took off in the general direction of the canteen, but not before sticking out his tongue at an infuriated brunette.

"Grr!" Mikan growled and gave chase, giggling under her breath. _You baka Natsume! All this while, you never realized I was impersonating _you.

_Polka dots…I'm glad you're back. Never change,_ Natsume thought as he ran ahead of the light of his life.

_Never. Always stay the same, Mikan. _

_For me._

**GAKUEN ALICE**

Was it too mushy? I think so anyway…

Please review! Please! I don't mind if you criticize my story, but please be gentle.


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